Following his jump at the last fence of an exhilarating Gold Cup on Friday, Sizing John looked every bit the staying horse most had doubted coming into the festival. Everyone bar Robbie Power, that is.
This was not Djakadam’s time to shine, at the third time of asking, in a race that has thus far escaped the clutches of Willie Mullins. Native River, the young superstar many hotly tipped to win at the first time of asking, was no match for the surging charge of jockey Robbie Power under Sizing John. Minello Rocco’s late surge was too late to placate the eventual winner, but supplanted the others to second place.
The leading favourites could only tiredly veer left, escaping the dust left behind Sizing John as he speared up the Cheltenham hill with awesome power, precision and determination.
This wasn’t in the script. The Moone-based horse was riding — and losing — at just 2 miles back at Christmas, admiring the arse of Douvan in Leopardstown and Thurles, a perennial bridesmaid to the Mullins monster. The script back then was Douvan, one of the superstars of jumping and arguably the best horse in training, was to light up the festival and stamp his authority on the 2 mile chasers. Sizing John was to be a mere blip in the map of the Gold Cup, for he can’t last against his superior challengers.
Instead, Sizing John emerged glowingly from the shadow of Douvan who now faces a summer of rehabilitation following an injury during the Queen Mother Champions Chase. A new superstar shone.
For Robbie Power, this was to be a truly magnificent return to the winners’ enclosure — less than a year after a serious fall in Galway left his cheekbone shattered and requiring special goggles to help guide him round the tracks.
Pairing with Jessica Harrington’s Sizing John for the first time in December, the festival’s leading female trainer was quick to praise Power’s decision to run John in the Gold Cup. Back in March, following victory in the Kinloch Chase and impressively over 3 miles in the Irish Gold Cup in Leopardstown, Power reiterated his belief in John as a stayer capable of challenging for the Gold Cup.
“Sizing John has always given the impression that he stays very well. He galloped all the way to the line in the Irish Gold Cup.”
“I suppose you don’t know until you try, but I’d be confident he will get the extra two furlongs and obviously a bit better ground would help.
John, who was previously trained by Henry de Bromhead, moved to Harrington’s yard last summer and Power — 16 years riding for Harrington’s charges — made the decision to up him in trip and ultimately try their hand at the jewel of the Cheltenham festival. Now, Sizing John is the jewel of Ireland’s chasing crown.
In a truly extraordinary week for Irish racing, winning more races than any prior festival, the underdog triplet of jockey, trainer and horse reigned in truly supreme fashion. Nobody could begrudge Power, ten years after riding to victory in the Grand National, nor Harrington — saddling her first horse in the Gold Cup — victory on the grandest stage.
For Sizing John, at just seven years of age, there’s more to come over the longer distances and he’s already been sized up for the Punchestown Gold Cup at the end of April. For Jessie and Robbie, this is just the beginning of a potentially beautiful domination in racing’s top table.
